Address
Form of workOCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST (Per Diem)
At Always Best Care, our focus is providing our patients with personalized and quality skilled care in the comfort of their own home. Our dedicated professional staff of nurses, therapists, social workers, and home health aides work in unison with the patients, families, and physicians to ensure positive outcomes. Our passion for helping the patients to maintain a safe and independent lifestyle, and to achieve their maximum functional independence is our top priority.
POSITION SUMMARY: The occupational therapist (OTR) is a registered/licensed professional who directs, supervises, evaluates and provides occupational therapy services to patients requiring part-time, intermittent visits and assesses their therapeutic needs. The therapist works as a member of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team serving as care managers with responsibilities for assessing, implementing, coordinating and evaluating patient care whenever occupational therapy is the only qualifying service.
Job Summary:
The occupational therapist (OTR) is a registered/licensed professional who directs, supervises, evaluates and provides occupational therapy services to patients requiring part-time, intermittent visits and assesses their therapeutic needs. The therapist works as a member of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team serving as care managers with responsibilities for assessing, implementing, coordinating and evaluating patient care whenever occupational therapy is the only qualifying service. The OTR supervises the certified occupational therapy assistant following the guidelines of the Occupational Therapy Practice Act and agency service policies. In addition, the OTR supervises the home health aide whenever occupational therapy is the only qualifying service.
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Performs a comprehensive evaluation of patients by assessing level of function with activities of daily living.
- Develops the plan of care cooperatively with the physician, patient/family and other team members with revisions made based on patient condition; discusses the Plan with the physician seeking verbal orders and sending for confirmation of the orders.
- Implements the therapeutic actions of the treatment plan of care as prescribed by the physician to restore function to patients with physical disabilities, to relieve pain, and to address associated psychological dysfunction in order to regain maximum independence in independent living/daily living skills.
- Instructs patients, families, and other health care team members in the care of patients regarding occupational therapy goals.
- Plans with the patient/family and other team members for the patient's discharge from service.
- Delegates therapeutic actions to certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) considering professional practice standards, the practice setting and factors such as the patient's condition, patient acuity, and competency of the specific COTA in deciding whether to delegate care.
- Supervises the treatment program implemented by the occupational therapy assistant (COTA/L) confers every two (2) weeks with the COTA/L and records these conferences on the progress note; re-evaluates patients visited by the COTA/L as necessary. Makes, at least, a monthly combined visit with the COTA directly supervising therapy skills. (See OT Service Policy for additional clarification.)
- Assigns, instructs and supervises the home health aide when care assignment is relevant to OT needs and/or when the OTR is the coordinating health professional.
- Serves as primary provider with coordination responsibilities when occupational therapy service qualifies the patient for skilled care with responsibility for appropriate follow-up comprehensive/transfer/discharge assessments including OASIS data set requirements, following training and competency evaluation.
- Adheres to medical orders for treatment and visit frequency and authorized visits for managed care clients securing verbal medical orders within practice area and completes documentation for requesting physician authentication of orders.
- Assists the patient in the selection, instruction and troubleshooting of safe equipment, supplies and services.
- Works together with other members of the interdisciplinary team to provide coordinated care to patients including participation in care conferences and weekend and evening rotations as needed.
- Obtains pre-authorization for home visits for Managed Care patients as needed.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
- Strong customer service orientation.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
- Ability to use tools used to make adaptive equipment.
- Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy required.
- Current registration with the American Occupational Therapy Association required.
- Certified/registered in Occupational Therapy having successfully completed the entry-level certification exam for OTs developed and administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
- Registered and licensed as an occupational therapist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
- Holds a current CPR card.
- Reliable independent means of transportation is required.
- Must have a valid driver's license and car insurance limits adhering to the limits established in the personnel policies.
- Obtains and retains a clear criminal history report, Childline, FBI, OIG, Medicheck, EPLS and any additional required regulatory clearances.
- One year of experience preferred.
- Will engage in movements that involve lifting equipment used in patient care, etc.
- May be exposed to infectious diseases and human waste products.
- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. at times.
